Forever Forgotten
by DigimonDragonLady
Summary: Here's another majorly strange 3x4 story I've come up with. I had to mess with the gundam boys ages in this fic (something I really didn't want to do, but was necessary), but don't worry, it should all turn out right in the end. ^^;; Anyway, AU 3x4
1. Forever Forgotten: Chapter One

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Dragon Lady: _Story time. _**^_^ **_Yayness._

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Ken: _Yayness? _***shakes head* **_You just keep getting stranger everyday._

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Dragon Lady: **^^;;;; **

Ken: _And just what is this?_

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Dragon Lady: ***innocently* **_What is what?_

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Ken: _This story?_

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Dragon Lady: _Oh…nothing…just, you know a story._

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Ken: _Another new story. This girl has a death wish, and she has obviously made it her goal to have as many unfinished Gundam Wing chapter fics as she has unfinished Digimon ones. _****

Dragon Lady: **^^;;; **

Ken: ***sighs* **_It figures._

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Dragon Lady: _Oh, I'm still working on the other stories. _

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Ken: _Yeah. Every once in awhile. _**-_-;**

Dragon Lady: _Anyway!_ **^_^;;;** _This story should prove to be fun. **3x4** and mentioning of **1x2**, but focused on the **3x4 **as always. _**^^**

Ken: _Yayness._ **-_-;;**

Dragon Lady: **^^;;** _I don't own Gundam Wing, or the characters, by the way. If I did, I'm sure I could do a little bit better than writing pathetic fan fiction, don't you?_ **^^;;**

Ken: _She doesn't own the story plot either, before she forgets to mention that fact._

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Dragon Lady: _Oh, yes, I borrowed the story line of a book called Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbit. Only, she didn't write yaoi, so I still say my story's more fun. _**^.~ **_Hope you enjoy._

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Forever Forgotten

By: DigimonDragonLady

Quatre sighed softly as he stared up into the sky. Previously it had been painted in vibrant shades of oranges and pinks, but the brilliant colors were giving way and fading into the dusky purple of the twilight sky, after what only seemed like a moments time.

"Sunsets never perform long enough," he muttered to himself as he swung his legs idly from where he was seated on the front porch of his home; his home was the biggest in the whole town, and his family owned the most land out of any of the neighbors. "And I've certainly never seen one do an encore." 

"Quatre."

The door behind him swung open and Iria called his name. Quatre sighed again, very quietly to himself. Couldn't he get just a minute out of a day to be alone?

"Yes?" he asked wearily, knowing what was coming.

"It's getting dark; come inside now."

"I don't mind the dark," he protested weakly.

"It gets cold out when it gets later, you don't need to be getting sick."

"Iria, it's the middle of summer, how cold can it get?!" But Quatre was already moving from his seat and walking through the door, which Iria shut behind him. He was well aware that he wouldn't have gotten a moments more peace no matter what kind of argument he might have presented.

That was just the way it worked in his family. And if it hadn't been Iria after him about the dark and the "cold", it would have been one of his other sisters going on about how dirty he'd get sitting outside on the filthy floor of the wooden porch. That was what Quatre got for growing up in a house with twenty-nine women and a father that he rarely saw; constant hounding from all directions, and more often than not, all at once.

He trudged up the stairs to his bedroom, which, thankfully, was the one place that he did have completely to himself. Unfortunately, that wasn't really much of a relief, as he was usually asleep when he was in it.

Outside stars were already beginning to show in the evening sky. Quatre threw open his window and stood staring out over the silent houses, and drinking in the soft smells of late summer breezes and lush green grass. He sat down in an old wooden rocking chair that had once belonged to his grandmother and continued watching the oncoming night.

His grandmother had passed away a few years ago, when he had been around eight years old, and Quatre still missed the old woman. She had pretty much raised him alone since he was an infant, as his mother had died giving birth to him, and had been the best part of his life. She had told him all manner of stories about adventures and elves and fairies and just everything. Quatre missed her stories, though he would never admit it to anyone, especially his father, who thought fairy stories were foolish and made a boy weak.

"I wish something interesting would happen," he said aloud to the stars. "Anything at all, just see if I care what."

* * *

Quatre Winner was running away. 

At least, that was what he called it. He'd run away plenty of times before in the past, but he always came back in the end, because there was no place that he could think of to run off too that someone wouldn't find him in less than twenty-four hours.

So, his version of running away involved disappearing for the day. His father was the richest man in the small town where they lived, and he owned all of the woods that bordered their house for miles around, almost as far as the eye could see. That meant that when Quatre had had enough so that he finally wanted some real alone time, he could get himself "lost" in the woods.

Everything had gone well so far, and he had long since moved away from the beaten path into more dense areas of the woods. Quatre never worried about really getting lost; he knew his way around well enough to avoid that.

Of course, if he did get lost, he could always call on the elves for help.

Quatre snickered softly at the thought. Elves indeed. One of his grandmother's many fairy stories. She'd been convinced as a child when she'd heard someone singing once from the woods that it was elves.

"Still, elves would count as something interesting," he reminded himself.

Then he began to hum that wordless tune of elf music that his grandmother had taught him as a child, as he wandered aimlessly around through the thick woods, without any particular destination in mind.

Quatre was very surprised when he started listening to what was going on around him in the forest, and discovered that there was another voice very nearby singing the same wordless melody along with him. He stopped singing immediately and crept silently, cautiously forward, further into the woods to find the source.

He came up behind a large sheltering tree and peered slowly around the thick trunk into a small, sunny clearing. Sunlight was streaming down through the thick canopy of trees giving the small glen an almost urethral quality. Quatre's eyes widened and he drew in his breath sharply in a small gasp.

In the clearing, lying with his back against an enormous, lichen covered rock, was the most gorgeous boy that Quatre had ever seen. And he seemed so glorious in that moment of sunlight and song that Quatre lost his heart at once, if it had ever been his to begin with.

He was slender, but muscular at the same time, and suntanned, this boy that could sing the elves song as well as Quatre. He had light brown hair that fell over one side of his face. As Quatre continued to watch, he stretched, the movement seemed very cat-like and graceful, and turned his attention to a small pile of pebbles beside him.

Quatre stared in fascination as he removed each rock one by one, and when he had removed the last one, a trickle of water sprang up from the ground, like a fountain, and he drank. When he had taken his fill, the pebbles were replaced as painstakingly as they had been removed, and the water stopped.

"Duo?" The boy called out, raising his head to look around the small clearing. He appeared to be listening carefully. "Duo, is that you?"

Quatre froze, his heart racing wildly. Had he been discovered?

The boy was silent for a moment longer, before speaking again, calling out in a slightly louder tone, "Whoever you are, you can come out now, I know you're there."

Quatre stumbled out from behind his tree into the clearing, blushing madly. "I didn't mean to watch you," he said quickly in explanation of his behavior, half in apology and half in defense of himself. "I just didn't think that anyone else would be out here, so I was curious."

"I see," the mysterious boy replied softly. "Fighting off one's curiosity is difficult to do, I know; But I often find myself thinking that even such a simple thing as curiosity is no excuse for rudeness, don't you agree?"

"I-" Quatre stammered, flushing more under the intense stare, and even though it was hot out, he was sure that the summer sun wasn't the cause.

Without meaning to, Quatre found himself looking up and staring again, straight into a pair of magnificent, deep green eyes. He didn't know how much time had passed with him simply standing there dumbly.

The very corner of the boy's lips twitched upwards in a fast, almost undetectable movement, before resuming his bland expression. His eyes, however, gave away his emotions if read correctly, as Quatre was almost sure he was doing. They seemed to sparkle with an inner, restrained amusement, and Quatre was sure that if he had been any of the townspeople that he knew, the boy would be laughing uncontrollably.

In the beginning, the thought was disgruntling, how dare a stranger laugh at him; but, on second thought as he gave the matter further consideration, he found it perfectly acceptable, as it pleased him, for some reason, to see the boy happy.

"Personally," the stranger continued, in his soft voice, when it became apparent that Quatre was momentarily robbed of his ability to speak, "I've always felt that the best way for one to be sure that he is not being rude would be an introduction; and names are always the best way to start when having one of those. So, taking that into consideration, my name is Trowa Barton, what's yours?"

"I-I'm Quatre. Quatre Raberba Winner."

"Oh." Trowa's expression took on an air of understanding. "So you're a Winner, are you? I guess that explains why you're out here."

"Well, these are my woods. Or, my father's woods, of course."

"Of course," Trowa agreed amiably.

"But they'll be mine someday," Quatre announced proudly. "When I'm much older." He blinked and climbed up onto the rock which Trowa had been leaning against to sit down. "How old are you, anyway?" he asked suddenly.

"Why do you want to know?"

Quatre shrugged.

"All right, then," Trowa said, "I'm a hundred and four years old."

Quatre narrowed his eyes at him. "I'm not stupid," he snapped. "I meant your real age."

"Oh, well, in that case, I'm seventeen."

"Seventeen. Oh. That's old."

"You have no idea."

Trowa's eyes were laughing at him again, concealing some kind of inside joke, but Quatre decided that it was a nice kind of laughter, so he didn't mind.

"Are you married?" he asked.

"Married?!" Trowa actually laughed aloud at that question. "No, I'm not married. What about you?"

Quatre laughed now. "I'm only eleven," he giggled. "But I'll be twelve soon."

"And then you'll get married," Trowa suggested teasingly. 

Quatre smiled, sure that he had found a great friend in this Trowa Barton, even if he was seven years older. Too bad he wasn't older too, maybe then Trowa would marry him.

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Ken: ***sarcastically* **_How adorable._

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Dragon Lady: _Oh, stuff it you. _

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Ken: _At least this fic shouldn't have too many chapters to it, because the original book was short. _

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Dragon Lady: _You're such a kill joy, Ken._ **-_-;;** _How'd I wind up with you as my muse?_

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Ken: _But dl, I'm the cute one, remember?_

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Dragon Lady: **^_^;; **_True._ **^.~**

Ken: _Review please, and she'll have another chapter out soon. _

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Dragon Lady: _Yes! Reviews! _**^_^ **_I love them._

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Ken: _Yeah, most people think reviews are a good thing, dl._

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Dragon Lady: _Ken, would you stop making fun of me! __Despite popular opinion, I don't enjoy being mocked._

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Ken: _But…it's my favorite past time. _

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Dragon Lady: ***sighs* **_SoI've noticed. _**-_-;;**


	2. Forever Forgotten: Chapter Two

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Dragon Lady: _Part Two. _**^_^**

Ken: _Well, you haven't forgotten it yet._

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Dragon Lady: _Nope. I haven't. And I don't intend to._ **=P**

Ken: _Yeah, sure, whatever._

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Dragon Lady: ***insists* **_I won't! _**^^;;**

Ken: _Uh huh, right._

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Dragon Lady: _You don't believe me. _****

Ken: _…_

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Dragon Lady: _Fine. Be that way. _

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Ken: _Dragon Lady doesn't own Gundam Wing. Or the characters. _

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Dragon Lady: _And the inspiration behind this fic was Natalie Babbit's book _Tuck Everlasting_, so the idea doesn't belong to me._

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Ken: _So now that you're here, you might as well read on, ne?_

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Dragon Lady: **^_^ **_Hope you enjoy it. And the 3x4/1x2 warnings still remain, but if you've gotten this far, you probably realize that this is a yaoi story._

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Forever Forgotten

By: DigimonDragonLady

"So, why are you here?" Quatre asked Trowa. He was nibbling on a rather messy cold turkey sandwich, one of the two that he'd put together before leaving home that morning. He'd offered Trowa his second sandwich and they were both taking their lunch.

"Not many people come through here without my father knowing something about it, because it is our property after all; but I don't mind that you're here. Do you live nearby?"

"No, I don't live nearby, just passing through, and thanks, I'm glad that's fine with you," Trowa answered with a small smile.

"So if you don't live around here, where do you live?"

"Pretty far away, actually."

"Oh," Quatre replied. So much for being friends with Trowa; if he lived as far away as he said, he'd probably never see him again after this day.

Trowa seemed to sense his unhappiness. "Sad to see me go?" he teased gently. "If you had any sense, you'd be cheering, like Duo says everyone else does when I leave a place. I'm nothing but trouble."

"You don't seem like trouble to me," Quatre responded.

"Oh, trust me, I am."

"Well, I wouldn't mind if you stayed here with me," Quatre murmured. "It gets lonely sometimes, and while I always tell myself that I want to be alone, its not really that as much as that I wish I had a real friend instead of just my family."

"Your life can't be that bad, now can it?" 

"I live with nine sisters and have twenty more that no longer live in my home but still visit often enough for me to never forget that they're still there."

"Oh, you poor thing," Trowa chuckled sympathetically. "And here I thought that living with Duo, Heero, and Wufei was bad. Maybe you should come live with us, Quatre."

"Really?" Quatre asked eagerly, his stunning aquamarine eyes shining with the prospect of living with Trowa.

Trowa's eyes widened slightly when he thought about what he'd just said, and that Quatre seemed to like the idea. "You wouldn't really want to leave your family, now would you Quatre?" he asked quickly. "I'm sure they love you very much…"

"Actually, I was running away when I met you," Quatre admitted.

"With two sandwiches and only the clothes on your back?" Trowa asked, raising an eyebrow at the wisdom to be found in that.

Quatre shrugged. "This isn't the first time I've run away; I always go back. My sisters are used to it by now. I always leave a note saying goodbye, which is always found a few minutes before I come walking back in the door, and Iria always scolds me for scaring her half to death. Then the same thing happens the next time."

"Where would you run to if you really did want to leave?" Trowa asked him.

"I don't know," Quatre told him. "That's why I've never really been serious about it before. I wouldn't know where to go."

"I see."

Quatre licked the tips of his fingers to get the last of the turkey's taste off of them, and then frowned. "I'm thirsty," he stated and pointed at the pile of rocks beside Trowa, "is that any good to drink?"

Trowa swallowed and his eyes widened. "What, that water? Oh, no. No, its terribly dirty."

"You drank it," Quatre pointed out, edging closer to the natural fountain.

"You saw that, huh? Well, I'm just not very particular about what I eat or drink, that's all."

"I'm sure I won't mind," Quatre said.

Trowa moved in between Quatre and the rock fountain. "But I would," he said, getting more nervous by the minute.

Quatre frowned at him. "I bet my father would let me have some if I wanted."

"You won't tell him, will you?" Trowa looked at him with something of desperation and fear showing in his expressive emerald eyes. "Trust me, Quatre Winner, if you drink that water you will never live to regret anything more, I can promise you that."

"But I want--"

"Trowa! Sorry I'm late, but I was meeting up with Heero."

Two boys entered the clearing very unexpectedly and Quate half turned to blink at them in surprise. They stared back at him. The one with his chestnut hair braided down to his waist, and large violet eyes frowned, his eyes narrowing slightly. "What's going on here?" he demanded. His dark and silent companion only stood with calculating deep blue eyes taking in the scene before them.

"Duo, Heero, we have a small problem," Trowa informed them.

* * *

Duo looked from Quatre to Trowa in horror when he realized what Trowa was saying.

The other boy, Heero, nodded in understanding. "I always knew this would happen," he said, speaking in a deep and dangerous sounding voice.

"What are we going to do?" Duo asked, swallowing back a small moan.

Heero crossed the clearing quickly and snatched Quatre up off the ground. The blonde boy at first went limp against him in surprise, and then began to struggle furiously against the arms that held him. Heero looked down at him. "We're taking him with us."

"No!" Trowa said. "We can't do that!"

"Hn." Heero looked at him, narrowing his eyes dangerously. "We have to."

"Can't we just let him go?" Trowa asked quietly.

"No. Heero's right," Duo shook his head sadly. "He needs to understand."

"He's a Winner," Trowa supplied, his eyes still locked on the still struggling Quatre.

"Is he? He owns this land?" Heero asked sharply, then nodded at Trowa's answering nod. "All the more reason to bring him along."

Quatre found his voice at last. "Let me go!" he shouted. "You can't take me anywhere, that's kidnapping, and you'll be sorry!"

Heero ignored him. "Are we agreed, Trowa?"

"Wufei isn't going to like this."

"Do you think any of us really like it? But you know it's the only thing we can do," Duo said. "We have to make sure he stays quiet. This is a big deal, Trowa."

Trowa bit his lip and looked at Quatre again. The amazing aquamarine eyes were locked on him, accusing him of treachery with their baleful stare. Trowa appeared to be having a serious internal battle with himself for a moment, before he hesitated and nodded his agreement. 

Quatre's eyes widened in horror and confusion. He'd been counting on Trowa to save him, he'd never thought that his new friend would do something like this to him. He had been sure that Trowa would save him. "No!" he cried, hot tears welling up in his eyes despite his attempts to stay calm. "No, please let me go. I have to go home. Trowa, please, my letter. I told them I was running away! They'll think I really did this time!"

"All the better," Heero said. "That means no one will come looking for him for a while."

Trowa sighed. "Give him to me, Heero," he instructed. At Heero's suspicious look, he said, "I won't let him go."

Heero handed Quatre over accordingly, and Quatre relaxed just a little, knowing that it was Trowa's arms keeping him still.

"Listen to me, Quatre," Trowa held his shoulders firmly and crouched down until they were eye level. "No one's going to hurt you. And we'll bring you back first thing tomorrow, I promise."

"Really?" Quatre asked.

"Really," Trowa assured him. "We just have to explain some things to you, and then we can send you home, all right?"

"All right," Quatre agreed, and Trowa stood, gathering the small boy into his arms. Quatre put his arms around Trowa's neck and lay his head against his chest, closing his eyes as he relaxed further. "Maybe getting kidnapped won't be so bad, then," he murmured.

"Where are the horses?" Trowa asked Heero.

"This way," Heero answered, turning and starting to lead them through the woods.

Duo raised an eyebrow at Trowa as the two followed Heero through the woods back toward the one path that went through the forest. He glanced meaningfully at Quatre, who had fallen asleep against Trowa. "Doing a little cradle robbing there, aren't you, Trowa?" he asked.

Trowa flushed darkly. "I don't know what you're talking about," he replied. "I only just met Quatre this afternoon, and I've barely known him that long."

Duo snorted. "Long enough to get us all into a good deal of trouble," he retorted. "And you can be stubborn about it all you want, Trowa Barton, but I bet even Heero can tell that you've fallen for that kid hook, line, and sinker."

"Quatre's eleven years old, he's not a little kid," Trowa snapped. Duo merely gave him an, 'Oh, really, is that so?' kind of look and Trowa scowled, but his expression softened into a thoughtful frown. "All right," he sighed in admittance, "Maybe he is a little young for me."

"Understatement of the year," Duo laughed darkly.

"But I can't help myself, Duo," Trowa told him in frustration. "I can't understand why I should feel so strongly about him when he's so much younger. And its not like its lust I'm feeling, because I'd feel dirty if I thought about Quatre that way. He's just so innocent that it makes me want to protect him forever."

"Hm," Duo nodded, watching Heero move up ahead of them. "I don't know what to tell you, Trowa, unless you're the type to believe in some preordained soul mate stuff. I know how much I love Heero, but that doesn't mean that I think we've got some kind of soul bond or something like that. Of course, it doesn't mean that I'd ever get tired of living with him, even if I lived for centuries."

"Which is a good thing, because you probably will."

"Don't remind me. I try not to think about it as often as possible."

"Which is about every five minutes for me, how about you?" Trowa sighed.

"Yeah, well," Duo replied with a shrug. "Seriously though, Trowa," he lay a hand on his friends shoulder. "Don't go and break your heart over this ki -- I mean, Quatre. I don't want to see you hurt."

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Dragon Lady: _Okay, so we've got the 1x2 and we're developing the 3x4. Looks good to me so far. _**^.~**

Ken: ***rolls eyes* **_Oh yeah, completely forget the plot, just focus on the fluff. _

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Dragon Lady: **^^;; **

Ken: _At least this brings this fic to an almost finished state, doesn't it?_

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Dragon Lady: _Hmm…just about I think. Maybe two more chapters to it. _***shrugs* **_I just write it one part at a time, so it could be more, but its probably not very likely at the rate at which this fic is moving._ **^^**

Ken: _Which is a good thing too._

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Dragon Lady: ***shrugs* **_Yeah, well, the book moved pretty fast too. _

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Ken: _So, with the promise of two more chapters to come, you are free to review now, readers._

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Dragon Lady: ***does puppy dog eyes* **_Pretty PWEEEASE?_

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Ken: _Dl? _

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Dragon Lady: _Yes?_

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Ken: _Don't do that. Its beyond scary._

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Dragon Lady: **^^;;**


	3. Forever Forgotten: Chapter Three

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Dragon Lady: _I have just now discovered that this is going to take me longer than two more chapters to finish up._ **-_-;;**

Ken: _I saw this coming._

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Dragon Lady: _My story's moving fast, but not fast enough to wrap it up in this chapter and the next._

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Ken: _Of course._

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Dragon Lady: ***sighs* **_Its probably going to be another three. _**@.@ **

Ken: _You know, I truly hate to say "I told you so", but…_

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Dragon Lady: **** _Liar. No you don't._

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Ken: _You're right. I told you so._

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Dragon Lady: **-_-;;**

Ken: **^^**

Dragon Lady: _Anyway. _***glares at muse* **_Here's part three. Finished and just waiting to be read and reviewed. _**^.~**

Ken: _She doesn't own it. Gundam Wing, I mean. _

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Dragon Lady: _Or Tuck Everlasting._ **^_^ **

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Forever Forgotten

By: DigimonDragonLady

"Are you all right, Quatre?" Trowa asked, looking down at the boy who sat in front of him on his horse in concern.

Upon waking from his sleep Quatre had gazed around them as the horses moved through wide grassy fields; they had left the woods behind them long before he had awoken. He had commented that he'd never before seen the end of the forest, and Trowa had replied that that was because it stretched on for miles and miles all around, and had taken them a good hour or two to get through. 

His reply seemed to sadden Quatre, who started to think about his sisters and what they would be thinking when they found his note later and knew that he would not be coming home this time. Trowa seemed to realize what was on his mind, and hadn't said anything more; they had lapsed into a very long silence instead, each thinking their own thoughts.

"We won't have much further to go now," Trowa informed him softly.

"Yes, I'm fine," Quatre murmured shortly.

"Quatre…I'm so sorry that we're doing this," Trowa whispered painfully. "I know how cruel it is of us to take you away from your family like this, and…and I can understand and know that you have every reason to hate me for it."

The arms who's hands gripped the reins of the horse around Quatre, tightened their hold around him, as if Trowa was attempting to both give comfort and draw some for himself as well. As if he wanted to keep Quatre close and never let him go. He leaned forward and rested his chin on Quatre's head, "But please, please don't hate me, Quatre."

"Never, Trowa," Quatre declared firmly, sounding much older and more mature than his ten years of age. "No matter what you do, I don't think I could ever hate you. You're much too kind to hate, even when you're kidnapping me." He snuggled further back into Trowa's warmth.

"Thank you," Trowa replied softly, fighting his urge to kiss the innocent boy, no matter how gently. "You are a very forgiving person, Quatre," he told him, "and wise beyond your years, I think. I know that once everything has been explained to you, that you will truly understand our reasoning."

"I trust you, Trowa."

"Why do you? If I were you, I wouldn't."

"Are you trying to tell me you're not trustworthy?" Quatre frowned, thinking that thought through. "But nothing you've done so far has hurt me, and I really don't think you will. Some part of me is telling me that you are trustworthy, so I'm going to listen to that part."

Trowa smiled weakly. 'Oh, God, does Quatre have any idea what he does to me? How I wish that things were different…'

His thoughts were interrupted by Duo, who, unnoticed by Trowa, had slowed his own horse and dropped back to ride beside them. "Now isn't this just so cute," he teased, his violet eyes sparkling mischievously.

Trowa blinked, seeing him for the first time.

"What is?" Quatre asked in confusion.

"You must be good for Trowa, kid," Duo reached out and ruffled Quatre's blond hair affectionately. "Trowa isn't usually this open, or talkative. Especially with children!" Duo laughed.

Trowa was positively glaring at Duo, but the bright, violet eyed boy acted as if he were completely unaware of this.

"Remember that time when Wufei left us to watch his kids?" Duo asked wickedly.

"Of course," Trowa responded through clenched teeth.

"I don't think I've ever seen anything so funny as you and those kids in all my life," Duo chuckled at the thought.

"I suppose that I've learned a little more patience since then," Trowa answered, but his eyes told Duo that he wouldn't be so sure of that statement.

Duo swallowed hard and smiled weakly. "Yeah," he agreed quickly. "Guess we all have, huh?" Quatre frowned in his confusion as he looked back and forth between the two of them, but said nothing.

"Anyway, Heero says not far now," Duo announced cheerfully. "We should be able to see home soon, but I guess you know that already, Trowa."

"Welcome news," Trowa commented.

"Yeah, sure is," Duo nodded his agreement. "Of course, Heero's just got to go and ruin it by being all paranoid."

"What about Heero?" Trowa asked curiously.

"Oh, he keeps saying he feels like we're being watched." Duo rolled his eyes and winked at Quatre when he giggled.

"He thinks someone's following us?" Trowa demanded sharply, tightening his hold around Quatre and his grip on the reins of his horse.

"Dunno," Duo shrugged, "He just kept saying 'watched'."

"Hm. I think its time that we picked up the pace," Trowa decided, urging his horse into a light trot.

"Sure, thing," Duo shrugged. "I'm sure we'll all feel better once we're back home, anyway."

* * *

"Well, here it is," Trowa told Quatre.

"Yeah, it might not look like much, but its home sweet home, ne, Heero?" Duo grinned.

"Hn."

Quatre smiled excitedly. "Its beautiful!"

Duo chuckled. "Not really, but it sure seems that way to me right now."

Trowa dismounted his horse with ease, and then lifted Quatre off, setting him gently down on the ground. A wide grin spread over Duo's elven features as he looked at the house, and Heero looked at him suspiciously.

"What is it?" he demanded of the braided boy.

"Oh, nothing much. I'm finally home, and I've got some catching up to do on time lost," Duo informed him. "Its Wufei hunting time."

Trowa raised an eyebrow at Heero as he watched Duo go running up the rickety wooden stairs of the front porch and through the main door. "Can't you do something with him?" he asked with a long suffering sigh, knowing that Duo had gone to agitate their friend, Wufei, which was a hobby that he always indulged in when bored, or feeling particularly mischievous.

Heero matched his gaze coolly. "Don't you think I've tried?" he countered, then smirked, "Duo's too independent to be trainable."

"And you like it that way," Trowa accused teasingly.

"Hn." Heero neither confirmed nor denied the accusation, but in the depths of his Prussian blue eyes was a kind of light that led Quatre to believe, that very privately, he was laughing. "I'll take care of the horses and leave you to explain to Wufei," he told Trowa.

"Oh, thank you," Trowa replied, a touch sarcastically. He smiled at Quatre. "Well, come along then, Little One," he said, "and I'll introduce you to the last member of our little rag tag team. This should prove to be interesting."

"Why's that?" Quatre asked, slipping his smaller hand inside Trowa's as they made their way up the stairs after Duo.

"Because Wufei is an interesting kind of person," Trowa answered.

"Oh."

"You'll see, Quatre," Trowa said. "Don't let Wufei scare you off, either," he instructed him kindly. "He might seem tough on the outside, but Duo calls him a big softie, and he's absolutely right; Wufei really loves kids."

Quatre nodded, as if he were cataloging the instruction away in his mind for future reference. Trowa led him through the cramped entry hall and to a small side parlor, where Quatre could hear voices issuing forth from within.

He peered cautiously into the room.

Inside was Duo, and also an Asian boy with serious, slanted eyes, and short black hair pulled back into a tight ponytail. Duo was grinning broadly, and the other boy, who could only have been Wufei, was scowling in obvious annoyance.

"Maxwell, you've only been back for five minutes, and already you're bothering me! Go find Heero, or something," the Chinese boy snapped.

"But, Wufei! Don't you want your present?" Duo asked innocently. "I wanna be here when you get your gift."

Wufei only narrowed his onyx colored eyes at him. "What are you talking about, Maxwell?" he demanded shortly. "What gift?"

"It's a surprise for you, Wu." Quatre wouldn't have believed that it was possible, but Duo's grin widened even more, until his merriment was clear, and his amusement showed written plainly on his face, spreading from ear to ear.

"What kind of --"

Trowa stepped forward, dragging Quatre into the doorway with him, and coughed to once to get their attention, while keeping a firm grip on Quatre's hand and giving it a small reassuring squeeze.

"Oh, Trowa," Wufei greeted him with a nod. "Can't you get Yuy to do something with Maxwell here?" He blinked and did a double take when he noticed Quatre beside Trowa, trying to look as small as possible, while remaining cuddled up to Trowa's side.

"What's this?" he asked, staring hard at Quatre, before looking from Duo to Trowa and then back at Quatre again, who squirmed under his intense gaze and moved even closer to Trowa.

"Not what, who," Duo corrected him, winking his own reassurement at Quatre, who smiled slightly back at him. 

"Wufei, this is Quatre Winner, Quatre, this is Wufei Chang," Trowa introduced them.

"Hi," Quatre squeaked, Wufei simply blinked back at him.

"This is your surprise, Wufei," Duo declared brightly. "Isn't he just so cute? Trowa found him; so can we keep him?"

"A stray child?" Wufei frowned. "Keep him? Absolutely not."

"I'm not a stray," Quatre pouted, his eyes darkening. "My name's Quatre Raberba Winner. And I'm not a child either; I'm ten years old."

'That's right, you tell him, Quatre," Duo encouraged as he burst into laughter and slapped Wufei on the shoulder in his amusement. Wufei glared at him briefly, before turning his attention to Trowa.

"Did Maxwell say you 'found' him, Trowa?"

The corner of Trowa's lips twitched. "Hm, something like that."

"I'm kidnapped," Quatre supplied helpfully, and that set Duo off into another fit of laughter. 

"Oh, well, that certainly explains everything," Wufei nodded absently at Quatre while scowling at Duo, "you're kidna--" His eyes widened and he turned to look fully at Quatre in horror. "You're **WHAT**?!" He stared at Trowa and Duo in disbelief. "You **KIDNAPPED** him?!!"

Duo couldn't contribute much, as he was still in tears, but Trowa spoke calmly. "Calm yourself, Wufei," he advised reasonably. "We can explain."

"Explain?! You'd better be able to explain! If there is any **GOOD** explanation for kidnapping a child!"

"I am **NOT **a child!" Quatre shouted in outrage.

"That's enough!" Heero appeared in the doorway now. "Everyone, quiet. Duo, that means you too. We'll soon have everything straightened out."

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Dragon Lady: _Well, I suppose it's time to start on Chapter Four, ne?_

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Ken: _Hm. That might be a good idea. And you'd better be careful how you write this fic, you know._

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Dragon Lady: _Why's that? _

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Ken: ***shakes head* **_Because you've got reviewers threatening to avenge their favorite 3x4 pairing if Quatre winds up dead in this fic. _

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Dragon Lady: **o.O **_Oh yeah._

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Ken: _He's not going to die, is he?_

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Dragon Lady: _Of course not! O.O I could NEVER kill off poor little Quatre! He's just too adorable to hurt! And that would make Trowa sad. No. I'm changing the ending of the book around. _**^^**

Ken: ***shrugs* **_That's what I thought you were going to end up doing._

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Dragon Lady: **^^;;** _You know me too well, Ken._

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Ken: _You're a sucker for a happy ending. The most depressing stories you try to write still come out with fluffy, sappy endings. _

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Dragon Lady: _I like fluff, fluff is good. _**^.~**

Ken: _Review please! _**^_^**


	4. Forever Forgotten: Chapter Four

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Dragon Lady: ***hums happily to self* **_Yay, chapter four._ **^_^**

Ken: _I seriously hate it when you do a fic in chapters. Can't you just get it all finished and upload it at once._

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Dragon Lady: _…but…chapters make it more fun. That means I get to do cliffhangers. _***grins* ^^;**

Ken: ***rolls eyes* **_Poor readers. You do cliff hangers on the chapters and then never finish the story…there must be a lot of people who want to hurt you for leaving incomplete stories. _

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Dragon Lady: **^^;;; **_Um…_***shrugs* **oops?

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Ken: **-_-;;**

Dragon Lady_: Anyways…I've gotten this next part done and out, they're still happy with me, aren't they? _**^.~**

Ken: ***grumbles* **_Maybe._

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Dragon Lady: _Yayness, this is the chapter that finally explains things! _**^^;;**

Ken: _Its about damn time._

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Dragon Lady: _Yes, muse, I know. _**=P**

Ken: _Read. And Review!_

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Dragon Lady: _Enjoy! That's the important part, ne?_ **^_^;;**

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Forever Forgotten

By: DigimonDragonLady

Everyone looked at Heero expectantly as he moved into the room.

Wufei took a deep breath. "I can't believe you, of all people, had anything to do with abducting this boy, Yuy; I was sure you had better sense than that! Or you, Trowa! Any of you! What were you thinking?!"

Duo snorted, his laughter once again under control. "Are you kidding? The whole kidnapping deal was Heero's idea."

"It was the only thing I could think of given the situation," Heero shrugged defensively when Wufei glared at him. "But as long as we're pointing blame here, its all Trowa's fault."

"Oh, very mature of you, Heero," Trowa responded sarcastically. 

"Well?" Wufei said. "I'm waiting on this reasonable explanation of yours. And I seriously hope that you three have apologized profusely to Quatre; you've probably emotionally scared the boy for life. He'll never trust anyone ever again."

Duo and Trowa had the shame to look guilty.

"They didn't hurt me," Quatre protested. "Trowa's my friend, right Trowa? I still trust him."

Trowa smiled gratefully at him and Wufei "hmphed".

"You do understand what it means when we say Quatre is a Winner, don't you, Wufei?" Heero asked. "His father is wealthy and owns a large amount of land, and Quatre, being the only Winner male, makes him the soul heir to all of his family's holdings."

"This is supposed to mean something to me?" Wufei asked.

"Quatre's father owns many acres of _woods_," Duo clarified, stressing the last word with a meaningful look at Wufei. 

"Oh…" Wufei's eyes widened. "Oh."

"Exactly," Heero agreed.

Wufei sat down hard on a shabby looking couch and it let out a loud creaking and groaning noise; he frowned down at the offending piece of furniture. "So I take it you three left it up to me to explain to Quatre?"

"Well, since none of us are such eloquent and motivational speakers like yourself, Wufei…" Duo answered sheepishly.

"That's what I thought."

Wufei looked at Quatre and motioned him over, gesturing for him to take a seat on the couch beside him. Quatre hesitated and looked up at Trowa, who nodded and, placing his hands on Quatre's shoulders, gave him a small, encouraging push in the right direction. Quatre swallowed and nervously made his way forward.

Wufei noticed his expression and hesitation, and his gaze softened a little. "Come, Quatre Winner, I promise I don't bite."

Quatre sank nervously down on the couch, still feeling somewhat insecure without Trowa right beside him, and looked at Wufei expectantly.

"We've quite a story to tell you, Quatre," Wufei sighed.

* * *

"We four have been friends for a very long time," Wufei began.

"Among other things," Duo added, with a wink at Heero, and an innocent smile at the glare Wufei shot at him for interrupting. 

"So one day we decided that we wanted to move farther out into the world and find a place of our own, not really having any family to keep us tied down anywhere," Wufei continued.

"And we wanted to stay together," Duo said.

"We packed up what little possessions we had and traveled far and wide looking for that place to call our own."

"The perfect place," Duo agreed.

"On our way we passed through an enormous wood that stretched on forever in all directions. It was impossible to make it through the wood in one day at that point, and we stayed a night in a small clearing with a beautiful freshwater spring. We relaxed and drank the water. All of us. The horses as well as Duo, Heero, Trowa and myself."

"No, not everyone," Duo corrected. "The cat didn't drink, remember? That's important to the story," he informed Quatre.

Wufei growled in annoyance. "Maxwell, who's telling this story, you or me? Kindly keep your mouth shut."

"Yes, sir," Duo grinned.

"But, Duo is right, the cat didn't drink. And Heero carved our initials into one of the big trees around there, just to mark where we'd been. We only stayed one night, and then moved on. Eventually we found a desirable spot in which to start our new life. Duo and Heero built a big house for themselves, and Trowa and myself shared a smaller shack, because I was already planning to get married at that point, to a young lady named Merrian."

"Wufei's a few years our senior." This time it was Trowa who interrupted with his explanation. "Sorry," he apologized at Wufei's sigh of long suffering.

"Merrian and I eventually got settled in, and Trowa moved in with Duo and Heero. Time passed and I soon had two young children. Though while everything appeared to be perfect, something was strange. While Merrian was growing older with every passing year, I wasn't visibly aging at all. It became clear through a series of incidents that there was clearly something very wrong. 

There came a day when Duo fell out of one of our old apple trees, and we all came running when we heard him yell. We thought he was going to die for sure," Wufei shook his head.

"Because I'd landed right on my head," Duo shuddered.

"But aside from being very dizzy and disoriented for a few moments, nothing was physically wrong with him," Wufei continued.

"And then there was Trowa and the snake in the garden," Duo added. "That thing was poisoness for sure! He should have died after being bitten squarely on the ankle."

"And a group of hunters accidentally shot one of our horses, thinking he was a deer," Trowa said. "The bullet passed right through him and didn't even leave a mark, or any indication that he had been hit at all."

"The only thing that had come with us from the very beginning that did die, was the old barn cat," Heero said darkly.

"Our neighbors became suspicious," Wufei told Quatre, who was listening to all of this with wide eyes, "talking about witchcraft and spells. Merrian was afraid, and she took the children and left," he sighed. "The four of us decided that we should move on, away from other people, so we retraced the route we had followed in the first place."

"We found the spring again," Heero nodded.

"It was untouched," Duo explained. "Looked just the way we'd left it. Even the tree that Heero had carved out initials into was still young, and the marks from his knife still fresh, like they had only been made the day before."

"It was then that Heero thought that perhaps it was the stream water that made us this way," Trowa spoke up softly again.

"So Heero, being the loveable maniac that he is, decided that after having so many near misses with death, someone needed to see if it was even possible for us to anymore." Duo leaned his head against Heero's shoulder and wrapped his arms around his waist as if determined to keep him that way forever and never let him go. "So before anyone could even think to stop him, he'd put a bullet through his heart with his shot gun."

Quatre's eyes widened in horror at the thought of anyone doing such a thing, and he looked at Heero with new respect for his bravery, or stupidity, or whatever had made him try such a thing. 

"There was no blood, no bullet hole, nothing," Heero muttered darkly.

"And that's when we knew," Wufei said softly. "We couldn't ever die. And we had stopped aging the moment the spring water touched our lips."

"I might have the body of a seventeen year old, but I was telling you the truth, Quatre, when I said I was a hundred and four years old," Trowa told him.

"You-you can't die?" Quatre gasped. "Not at all?"

"So, you see now why I had to stop you before you drank that water?" Trowa asked. "If I hadn't, you would have stayed ten years old forever."

"Thank you!" Quatre exclaimed, horrified at the thought that he might have stayed the same forever, and he threw himself into Trowa's startled arms. After a moment, Trowa relaxed into holding him. "I'll never tell anyone, I swear it!" Quatre declared.

"You can't," Heero said seriously." "Its dangerous and horrible to live forever. And if people knew, they would want the water, would kill for it, but people often have a bad habit of wanting exactly what is the worst for themselves."

"Well, young Master Winner, as you're "kidnapped", it seems you'll be spending the night with us," Wufei said, breaking the tense silence that had descended after Heero's statement. "So, we'll make a nice dinner and get you all set up."

"Okay," Quatre agreed amiably.

"Where do you want to be put up for the night?" Trowa inquired.

Quatre blinked. "Can I sleep with you?" he asked.

Trowa's eyes widened slightly and his cheeks flushed with color, even though Quatre's question was asked in complete innocence. Duo went red too, but his color was from trying to contain his laughter at Trowa's expression and Quatre's question. Heero looked at him and shook his head, making Duo cover the laughter with a cough.

Trowa glared at Duo, and the braided boy knew he was in for some trouble.

"Well, you can if you want, Quatre," Trowa answered. "I have a room upstairs, but I often end up sleeping outside on the porch hammock, because my room is right next to Duo and Heero's, and Duo tends to get a bit loud when he sleeps."

Wufei actually laughed at that, and Duo looked very indignant. Quatre stared at them in polite puzzlement. "I'm not THAT loud!" Duo protested. "I'm really not!"

Heero reached out and tugged lightly on his braid. "Whatever you say, Duo."

Duo frowned at Heero and looked at Quatre helplessly. "You know, the only time these guys have a sense of humor is when it comes to making fun of me!" he complained. "How unfair is that? Can you believe that I have the bad luck to get stuck with them for an eternity?"

Quatre smiled. He couldn't help but feel very at home with these people; the silent Heero Yuy, easy-going and fun-loving Duo Maxwell, just Wufei Chang, and of course the kind and reserved Trowa Barton. They were like a branch of his family that he had never known existed until this point. Like brothers. Except for Trowa; to Quatre, Trowa meant something more.

* * *

Quatre had been recruited by Duo into helping him catch the fish for dinner; Wufei had decided that there should be a fish dish as well as the stew he was making. The house of the four elder boys had been built overlooking a very small lake, and that was where Duo and Quatre headed; though Quatre had been a little reluctant to leave Trowa, but he had been persuaded with not too much difficulty by Duo's lighthearted charm.

Duo gestured for Quatre to climb into the old wooden row boat they kept, and he held it steady while the boy did so, before climbing in himself.

"Ever done this before?" Duo asked, as he baited their poles and then handed over one of the rods to Quatre.

"No," Quatre shook his head, examining his fishing rod curiously.

"Well, no problem. Its really very simple once you get the hang of it," Duo said. "All you wanna do is just cast our line as far out into the water as you can, like this," Duo stood carefully so as not to capsize the boat and demonstrated, before settling back down. "Then all we have to do is wait for the fish to bite."

Quatre followed Duo's instructions and cast his line out, watching as it sailed through the air, catching the rays of the sun like gossamer, and landed in the water.

"Not bad," Duo congratulated. "You're a natural, Quatre."

Quatre giggled and smiled at the praise.

"I remember teaching Wufei's daughter, Meling, how to fish. We lived near a pond back then too, only it was a little smaller than this one, guess maybe that's why we picked this location for our second home."

"What happened to her?" Quatre asked.

"Who, Meling?" Duo shrugged. "Don't really know. Maybe she's still alive, she'd be really old now though, old enough to have grandchildren and maybe more, if she is."

"Didn't…didn't Wufei ever go back to see her?"

"No, never did. It would be too painful, don't you see, Quatre? And those children would have had a father who was around the same age as themselves. When we all left we made the decision to try and forget the painful past as much as possible. To leave and never look back, because it would hurt if we did, and none of us wanted that. But it was definitely the hardest for Wufei, because this time, he was leaving people behind."

"Couldn't he have just given them some of the water too?" Quatre murmured.

"At the time we didn't know the truth about the spring, but even if we had, do you think it would have been the right thing to do?"

"What do you mean?" Quatre asked curiously, surprised at the question.

"You know how you felt this afternoon when you found out you might have been ten forever. Just think if those little kids had drank the water, they'd stay just that forever, little kids. They'd never have had a chance to grow up and get married. To have families of their own. I know Wufei, he would have never done such a thing to his family, no matter how much he loved them and never wanted them to leave him."

"Oh…" Quatre said. "I didn't think about that," he admitted shamefully. "I was only thinking about how sad it is that people should have to die at all."

"There's a balance to death, Quatre," Duo sighed. "And thanks to that damn spring water, I've been exempt from the balance that governs all other life. I often find myself dreaming about how wonderful it would be to finally die; I don't think anything in this world would make me happier than seeing that dream come true, except for always being with Heero, no matter what."

Quatre stared at Duo in confusion and slight disbelief, when he understood that the boy really meant what he said; death would make him happy. Quatre was suddenly filled with an intense sadness and pity for this almost-perfect-but-not-really stranger. Duo longed for death in a world that he had outgrown and had outgrown him, but he would never have it. For Duo, it was only a dream.

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Dragon Lady: _Well, there we go._

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Ken: _Hm. _

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Dragon Lady: ***giggles* **_I'm having enormous fun writing for Wufei. _**^_^;; **_His character is just sooooo much fun to manipulate. _**^.~**

Ken: ***shakes head* **_Of course._

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Dragon Lady: _And Duo's fun to write too._

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Ken: _…_

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Dragon Lady: _I always feel like I'm writing Trowa completely out of character, though. _***sighs* **_I don't like that a lot of people stereotype the characters into roles, like Trowa can never say anything at all, just "…" as his quote. But for some reason his just so darn difficult to write for, despite being one of my favorite characters._ **^^**

Ken: ***shrugs* **_Well, you're out of my area of expertise. Gundam Wing. Can't really help you there._

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Dragon Lady: **^^;;** _I need to find myself a GW muse…_

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Ken: _Another muse? _**o.O **_You have no idea how many muses and "voices" this girl has. She collects them, I'm sure. Lets see, muse wise you have me (digidestined) and Scorch (dragon)…and as for the voices, you have Unimon (digimon), Kaerumon (digimon), Rill (dragon), Ruth (dragon), Poe (raven), and Kamali (owl). Do you really need anymore running around?! _

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Dragon Lady: _Yeah…well, I need a GW muse to help me write my gundam stories, like I have you for Digimon and Scorch for my original fantasy._ ***laughs* **_Anyone have any suggestions? _**^.~**

Ken: _Review please! _**^_^**


	5. Forever Forgotten: Chapter Five

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Dragon Lady: _Well, here comes chapter five. _**^_^**

Ken: _Good._

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Dragon Lady: _Yuppo. _**^_^**

Ken: _…_

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Dragon Lady: _Well, you're not being any fun today, muse. _**=P**

Ken: ***shrugs* **_Whatever._

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Dragon Lady: _Guess that means I'm running low on idea's for my rants. _**^^;**

Ken: _It means you're running low on ideas period. Took you long enough to get this written and posted._

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Dragon Lady: **^^;;;** _Gomen nasai, mina-san._

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Ken: _Well, since Dl's at a loss for a topic, that means you get to the story much faster._

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Dragon Lady: **^_^;;; **_I hope everyone likes it. _

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Ken: _So…Dragon Lady doesn't own Gundam Wing. _

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Dragon Lady: _Or Tuck Everlasting, which belongs to Natalie Babbit._

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Ken: _Or that. _**^^**

Dragon Lady: _This chapter is also a little on the short side…_**^^;;**

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Forever Forgotten

By: DigimonDragonLady

"What are you doing out here, Little One?"

Quatre blinked, the sound of Trowa's voice pulling him out of his reverie. He turned to look at the older boy, framed in the doorway of the house. Normally, at home, he would have felt annoyance when someone, usually his oldest sister, Iria, interrupted his evening activity, but he had never before met anyone with whom he would rather share a sunset than Trowa.

"Just watching the sunset," he replied softly. "It looks so beautiful from here, maybe because I can see so much more of it. At home all of the other houses get in the way, but here, you can see everything."

"It is very beautiful," Trowa agreed, as he followed Quatre's gaze out over the lake where the sun rays fell. "Is it allowable to sit and watch this sunset with you?"

Quatre smiled. "Please, would you? I'd like that."

Trowa seated himself beside Quatre on the porch steps, and for a long time, there was silence. Neither of them spoke a word, but were content merely to be in the other's company. Trowa examined the rapt expression on Quatre's childish face as he watched the sky.

"Am I also allowed to ask what you're thinking when you watch this sunset?" he inquired. "Or does that break some kind of rule?"

"I-" Quatre frowned. "I was just thinking about something Duo said to me earlier," he stammered in reply, and glanced quickly at Trowa, to see if he should continue or not. "He said -- He said he dreamed of dying," he rushed on quickly. "Dreams that weren't nightmares."

Trowa nodded. "I see."

"Do you dream about that, Trowa? Dying, I mean?" Quatre asked, hurt to think that his Trowa was hurting because of wanting something with all of his heart, but not being able to have it. Quatre thought that he knew how he felt.

"Sometimes, yes," Trowa admitted. "Just to wonder what its like. I dream about many things. Not all of them being things that I can have, but that must be the same as many other people's dreams."

"I'm sorry," Quatre said, wrapping his arms around Trowa's neck and hanging on tightly as he leaned against him. 

"For what?"

"I-I don't know," Quatre whispered. "That you're unhappy, I think."

"Don't fret over me, Quatre," Trowa chided him gently, lovingly. "I'm not always as unhappy as you might think."

"When are you really happy, Trowa?"

"Many things make me happy," Trowa replied. "I'm happy when I'm with you," he blushed softly. That was the truth, but it hadn't been what he meant to say.

"Really?" Quatre asked hopefully. "Me too. I mean, I'm happy when I'm with you, too, Trowa."

Trowa's hand slid tentatively up to tangle his fingers in Quatre's hair, and run them through the silky blond locks. Quatre was practically purring with contentment at the gently intimacy of his touch. "I'm not sure that I understand this at all," Trowa murmured his confusion, continuing his slow stroke. "I -- you're so young…."

"I know," Quatre breathed a soft sigh. "You're older…even though you can't age…"

"I, God, Quatre, I feel so…selfish saying this, horrible really, like I'm some kind of monster. I can't believe that I even allowed myself to think it, let alone say anything to you, but --" He paused in pained hesitation.

"What is it, Trowa?" he asked quickly. "Tell me, please."

"I want you to be able to stay here with me so much. I want you so much, it hurts," Trowa whispered. "And if you -- if you…"

"Go on," Quatre begged.

"If, when you're seventeen, and you still wanted to…to be with me, you could…drink some of the spring water, and I could come and get you, wherever you are, and we could be together."

"Together…like Duo and Heero?" Quatre murmured.

"Oh, Quatre, I feel dirty for having suggested such a thing. Don't you even think about it; forget I even said anything! Get it out of your head right this minute, because there's no way that…I should never have asked you to suffer with me. I care about you too much, so I'm going to tell you, don't do it. I wouldn't want you to watch your family die and never be able to join them again, in death you could see them, and to ask such a thing --" Trowa shook his head, holding Quatre tightly.

"Please, Trowa, don't be so sad. Not because of me," Quatre pleaded, his eyes filling with tears. "I have years to decide. I want to think about it, really, really think about it. So I promise you I won't decide now."

"And no matter what you decide, it gives me an excuse to see you again," Trowa said.

"I'd wait for you, Trowa," Quatre buried his face in the junction of Trowa's neck and shoulder, inhaling his earthy, fresh, scent. 

They stayed that way for the longest time, and after a while, Quatre's breathing slowed, and Trowa realized that the small boy had fallen asleep. He pulled back slowly and pressed his lips gently to Quatre's forehead in a soft kiss. 

"Sleep well, Little One," he murmured, drinking in the peaceful vision lying in his arms, "because tomorrow we say goodbye."

* * *

Quatre was given a hot, filling breakfast, and all five of them prepared to start out early to get Quatre back to his home. They planned to leave Quatre close to the edge of his father's woodland property, far enough in so that he knew his way home, but not so close to the village that people might see them with him and bring kidnapping charges against them.

Before they left their home to take Quatre, Heero surprised him by calling the boy over to speak with him privately while the others worked on various tasks they should take care of before leaving, but still insight of Quatre and Heero.

"Are you going to do it?" He asked Quatre, while working on saddling his horse.

"Do what, Heero?"

"Trowa was talking to you last night, and this morning he's mentally beating himself up over something. He's very attached to you, anyone can see it," Heero replied. "I just thought it probably had something to do with what he'd said to you, and probably something about the spring as well."

Quatre winced, he had to tell Heero the truth, and he was sure he was going to get some kind of lecture about it, and get Trowa in trouble with his friend at the same time. "I -- he said when I got closer, if I wanted, I could --"

"Drink from the spring," Heero concluded with a nod, as if that was what he had been expecting to hear.

"Yes," Quatre whispered, hanging his head.

"Will you?" Heero wanted to know.

"I don't know," Quatre admitted miserably. "I don't want to hurt Trowa…"

"Trowa would understand, Quatre," Heero grunted as he cinched the saddle he had just thrown on the horse. "He would be more hurt if you drank the water out of some kind of pity for him and made yourself miserable for an eternity. Trust me, I know Trowa. He knows that no matter how painful it might be for him, he will eventually reconcile himself to not being able to have you, and he knows that he will get over it one day. He'd much rather that he were miserable for a while than your making a mistake that you'd regret forever, literally."

"Would you ever leave Duo?" Quatre asked. "If you had a chance to die, and he didn't?"

Heero blinked at the unexpected question, and looked over to where Duo was badgering Wufei about something. A slow smile spread over his face as he watched their interaction, and Wufei's heated replies to Duo's teasing. "No," he answered firmly. "No, I don't think I ever would."

Quatre nodded, and carefully filed away Heero's reply to think about at a later time, so that he could use his answer to see if what he felt for Trowa was truly love, and to keep himself from possibly making a mistake.

"Heero, why aren't you trying to stop me?" he asked curiously. "You kidnapped me so that I wouldn't drink from the spring and become like you, and to make me understand that I should never do such a thing or let other people, didn't you, so why aren't you trying to convince me against doing so when I'm older?"

Heero frowned thoughtfully at his question. "I once told Trowa," he began, "that the only way to live a good life, was to act on one's emotions."

Quatre nodded, not quite understanding what that had to do with his question, but still listening politely.

Heero continued on with his explanation, "I think that maybe that's why he said what he did to you last night, because he was following my advise and going by what his heart told him, rather than his head. 

"And I also think that you are very intelligent for your age, Quatre. I have a feeling that you have grown up a lot in just a day because of all of this, because you met Trowa, Duo, Wufei, and myself; we sort of forced you into a little bit of early maturity, I suppose. But I have faith in you, and believe that when the time comes, you will make the right decision for yourself, whether to drink or not."

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Dragon Lady: _All right, well, technically, as my story goes, that's the end._

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Ken: _WHAT?!?!!!_

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Dragon Lady: _Calm down! _***dodges various objects being thrown at her*** _Ken, don't you dare throw that dragon statuette at me! Its my favorite, I'll kill you!_

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Ken: ***growls* **_Not if I kill you first! _***puts down aforementioned statuette* **_What do you mean, 'the end'?!_

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Dragon Lady: _There's an honest to God plot in Natalie Babbit's book, I only took the fluffy love stuff out of it, because I didn't want to do the second plot._ ***shrugs* **_But I said that this story is going to end 3x4 and so help me, it will._

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Ken: _So you're doing an epilogue?_

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Dragon Lady: _Right. Of course, its not going to be all that long, not that this chapter was anyway, but…_

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Ken: _Well, I guess most people know how its going to end anyway…_

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Dragon Lady: **^^;;;** _Probably. They're all smart people. I'm sure they've figured it out by now. _**^.~**

Ken: _So, just an epilogue left then, review please! If you've been following this, but haven't told dl what you think about it, do so now! _

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Dragon Lady: _Reviews would be appreciated…_**^^**


	6. Forever Forgotten: Epilogue

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Dragon Lady: ***gasps* **_FINALLY!!!!_

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Ken: _Oh, the epilogue you promised what…a month ago?_

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Dragon Lady: _It…wasn't a month…was it? Please tell me you're exaggerating, Ken… _**O.O **_Gomen nasai!_

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Ken: ***rolls eyes* **_How pathetic. See how easily you loose track of stories?_

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Dragon Lady: **^^;;** _So my muse was being a little slow this time…this part isn't in the book so it was harder to write on my own._ **=P**

Ken: _Excuses, excuses._

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Dragon Lady: _And I have a new muse! _**^_^** _Specially for my GW stories. Say hello, Trowa._

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Trowa: _…_

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Dragon Lady: **^^;;** _You'll have to excuse him._

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Ken: _He's still getting used to dl's strange ways. _**^^;;;**

Dragon Lady: _Who me? Strange? _***whistles innocently***

Trowa: **///_-;;;**

Ken: _Anyway, on to the story, which is why you came anyway, right?_

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Dragon Lady: _Oh! Sorry! _***grins sheepishly* **_I'll let you read. Unless of course you'd rather listen to us rant. _**^.~**

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Forever Forgotten (Epilogue)

By: DigimonDragonLady

"Quatre."

Somewhere above him, and upstairs window opened, and Iria's voice came floating down to him. "It's getting late, Quatre, could you come inside now?"

Quatre stood and smiled to himself; some things never changed. "Coming, Iria," he called back up. "I'm coming."

It was funny, when he had been younger, it had annoyed him to always hear Iria break his end of daylight tranquility, but he had come to realize, that it didn't actually bother him as much as he thought. Iria was part of what made his sunset special and unique from the sunset of anyone else.

'I'll miss having her around to interrupt some day, when things change,' he noted, as he made his way inside and to his room. 'But, maybe, when it does change, I'll find someone else to become a part of my sunset.'

An irate wife if Iria had anything to say about it. Quatre mentally chuckled and groaned simultaneously at the thought. It would never happen. Of course, Iria didn't know that, but Quatre dearly wished that his sister hadn't gone putting ideas into Dorothy Catalonia's head. **[1]**

Quatre had indeed, as predicted, grown much in the past seven years. Quatre himself didn't often acknowledge his physical growth as much as those family members around him. He had gotten taller, of course, and various other things, but he tended to note his growth in more of a mental or spiritual way. His strength lay not solely in his looks, but also his personality, which was nothing short of pleasant, and he still contained much of his old childish charm, though in a much more mature way.

He was as kind and considerate person as ever there was, and had rarely been known to raise his voice unnecessarily. Always so sweet tempered and patient with everyone that he knew. He still kept up with his usual evening activities of watching the sunset, especially when it was such a nice summer evening as it was at the moment.

Quatre stopped to look out his bedroom window, though he couldn't see much other than the thick woods so close to the house on his side. The summer itself always brought fond memories of a night years before, when he had made a wish for an adventure of sorts, and had, the very next day, met the best of friends he would ever know. Unconsciously, he found himself humming a strange, infectious tune, once taught to him by his late grandmother.

He smiled when he realized what he was doing. Well, for old times sake. "I wish that something interesting would happen," he said softly aloud, placing his hand on the cool window pane as he stared out into the night. "Just see if I care what."

So he made his wish again, as he had many times before, it had become something of a habit for him to say, before he climbed into bed and allowed himself to drift off to sleep.

* * *

A silent figure moved quickly through the shadows of the night. It was very late. He stood looking up at a second story window, which was open, and would give him entry to the house. The young man hoped against hope that the room's occupant was either out or asleep, and would not find him sneaking in such a way.

"I shouldn't be doing this," Trowa muttered to himself, as he began to climb a trellis laced with ivy, leading to the open window. "I should just leave. Forget about Quatre. If I'm not there to tempt him he'll try and forget me. Move on. I should move on. I should give him a chance to live…to really live, and die, happily. Not to suffer like me."

But his limbs were moving of their own violation, and appeared not to be listening to his mind. Soon Trowa slipped easily inside through the window, looking around him cautiously, for any signs of people.

The room was rather bare and a bit impersonal, but it was nice enough. There was a desk set very prominently against one wall, very neat and organized looking with a few stacks of books and supplies. Near the window was a rocking chair that looked as if it had seen many years of use, and against another wall, a bed.

Trowa swallowed. He'd have to be careful not to wake the person sleeping in it. He had to find Quatre. He crept forward to get a look at the sleeper.

His mouth went dry as the person on the bed shifted and he was suddenly looking at a beautiful young man with golden yellow hair, with thick black lashes closed in peaceful slumber. The blanket fell down to his waist, showing that while the sleeper might be wearing pants of some sort, he was topless. Trowa's eyes followed the curves of the firm male body, slightly muscular with an almost delicate feminine appearance.

"Quatre," Trowa whispered, throwing caution to the wind for a moment, as he reached out with trembling fingers to brush the blond bangs from the sleeping boys closed eyes. He withdrew his hand quickly.

"Beautiful."

Trowa clenched his fist at his side as a deep determination to always protect this boy overcame him. He had felt it before, of course, when he was with Quatre all those years ago, but now that he was near him once more, it intensified alarmingly. 

"I will spare you my pain," he informed the peaceful sleeper, taking a last lingering look before turning his back and walking quietly to the window, intent upon disappearing into the night forever.

Aquamarine eyes blinked open in sleepy confusion. Through the bleariness Quatre wondered for a moment just what he was doing awake so late at night, as he silently raised himself onto his elbows on his bed. He swallowed reflexively in fear when he saw the figure at the window, his mind racing wildly with thoughts of kidnappers, murders, and thieves.

But something about the lonely figure seemed to calm him, and his heart slowed its erratic beat and his eyes widened in recognition. But…was it really? 

"Trowa?" he murmured the name softly, tasting its sound on his tongue, and the way it slid so effortlessly from his lips. 

The figure visibly stiffened, and halted in his movements. Slowly, he turned to look toward the bed, and Quatre felt as if all his breath had been drawn from his body. God, he was gorgeous. Just the way Quatre had remembered him. Tall and lithe, like a cat, light brown hair sweeping forward and shadowing the right side of his face. He hadn't changed a bit.

"Trowa," Quatre's eyes filled with unexpected tears of pure happiness. "It-it really is you, Trowa." **[1]**

His friend had come back. His protector. His knight in shinning armor. It was all going to be happily ever after, after all; just like in his grandmothers fairy stories. 

He smiled, and Trowa's heart nearly broke. All he wanted to do was wipe the tears from those eyes, to make sure that Quatre never cried over anything, least of all him. He wasn't worth the boy's tears.

Quatre swallowed, and his expression grew thoughtful and sad as a certain understanding began to sink in to his still sleep clouded brain. "You weren't going to leave me, were you, Trowa?" he asked. There was a long period of uncomfortable silence, and Quatre looked away from Trowa sadly. 

"If you didn't want me anymore, you could have told me, Trowa," he tried desperately to keep the fine tremor out of his voice, but it came anyway. 

How could he have been so foolish? Trowa had never really felt anything for him, had he? How could he? After all, He'd said years ago that he himself didn't understand it. And Quatre had been just as bad. He was so naïve. It couldn't have been anything other than a childish infatuation, right? He had fooled himself into thinking that he was feeling something more. Stupid, stupid, stupid, he mentally berated himself. Of course it would _seem_ like love; he had been ten years old.

But it had been seven years. If it hadn't truly been love…then why was his heart breaking now?

"You could have said goodbye…." He sobbed softly, struggling to hold in the painful tears that threatened to spill over his cheeks. "You could have given me that chance, at the very least." His shoulders shook with his efforts to restrain himself. 

"Quatre, I-I'm sorry."

Quatre gave a small gasp. Why was it so difficult to breathe? Was it because the grief was choking him? Or because he was being held in a strong pair of arms, and stifling his sobs in the junction of his dream knight's shoulder?

"Trowa, oh Trowa," he cried pitifully. He hated that he could sound so weak. He hated it when people considered him weak because he was so small and fragile looking, and here he was clutching desperately onto Trowa, like a lifeline. But it made sense to his jumbled thoughts. Trowa was his one love. He was his weakness, as he was his strength.

"Sshh," Trowa soothed. "I'm so sorry, Quatre. I don't not want you, Little One, please believe me when I say it. I only wanted to save you. I didn't mean to hurt you. I never wanted to make you cry. Please just believe me."

He pleaded with Quatre, stroking the blond locks and rocking the shaking form in his arms, and gradually his tears began to soften, and his shaking ceased.

"Trowa?"

"What is it, Quatre?"

"Please, Trowa, please don't ever leave me," he begged, digging his fingers into the fabric of Trowa's shirt and leaning against him.

"Quatre, I--"

"Take me with you?" he asked. "Like you promised? I only want -- to be with you. That's all I've ever wanted, Trowa."

"If -- if that's what you really want…" Trowa replied. "Then, I suppose Wufei, and Heero and Duo wouldn't mind another roommate."

Quatre hugged him tightly. "Oh, god, Trowa," he whispered fiercely. "I love you so much." And he pressed his lips to Trowa's for the first time. 

Trowa had kissed him before, but never in such a way. Only chaste kisses on his brow, and only when he had thought that Quatre was asleep, as if he had been afraid to take advantage of him. It was a wonderful feeling, being completely wrapped up in Trowa, kissing him, knowing that he was going to spend the rest of his life loving him. It was incredible. Quatre loved, and was loved.

"Take me home, Trowa," he said, when they parted for air. "I've waited so long for this. So very, very long."

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[1]. Where do people get 4xD from anyway? **o.O **I mean, the psycho girl almost skewered him with a fencing sword. Not that I don't like Dorothy, she's a cool character, just not with Quatre. **^^;**

[2]. All right, I'm a sucker for 3x4 sappiness. So sue me. I thought that scene out of the episodes where Quatre goes to see Trowa at the circus was soooo CUTE!! **^^**

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Dragon Lady: _Well…its done. What do you think?_

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Karaoke Superstar: ***pushes dl out of the way***

Dragon Lady: _Hey! How rude! _

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Karaoke Superstar: ***waves enthusiastically* **_HI PEOPLE!_

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Dragon Lady: ***pushes Kara-chan out of the way and grabs the keyboard again*** _This is my fic. Go highjack your own. _**=P**

Ken: **-_-;;;**

Trowa: …

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Dragon Lady: **^^;;**

Karaoke Superstar: _What are you writing? _***peers over dl's shoulder* **_The Forever Forgotten epilogue? No!_ ***covers eyes*** _I can't look! I haven't gotten past chapter two yet. _

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Dragon Lady: ***rolls eyes* **_Your problem, not mine. _**^^;;**

Karaoke Superstar: _If she let me on the computer, I'd read the rest. _**=P**

Dragon Lady: _Whatever. _

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Karaoke Superstar: _I'm dl's friend! And I think you should give her reviews! It's the end here, people, if you haven't reviewed yet, tell her what you think!! And then, go read my stories! _**^.~**

Dragon Lady: **^^;;;;;;**

Ken: _Hey, I'm the muse! It's my job to beg for reviews! _****

Trowa: **///_-;;** _Is it just me, or do I have the worst luck ever?_


End file.
